


I knew I loved you

by desperatelypalecloud



Series: Landon/Kyra [2]
Category: Original Work, Wolves in the Dark
Genre: Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, F/M, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Landons POV, Mates, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, School, Series of One Shots, There will be violence later on, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-06 04:24:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12203823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desperatelypalecloud/pseuds/desperatelypalecloud
Summary: Series of one shots from Landon's view about his childhood in the pack and with Kyra!





	I knew I loved you

**Author's Note:**

> Alright I decided to make this a thing! It wont be updated as often as Wolves in the Dark but its relaxing to write from Landon's view so these will be updated whenever I get them finished. There will be some hints and clues dropped in these chapters about what is happening in Kyra's story! Hope it's good!

The playground is packed with human children. A distinction that has been made to Landon from birth. His parents remind him every day since he first started school that the other students are nothing like him and it is of the utmost importance that he keeps their family secret. And he has. 

He speaks only to his sister and Toki, who in return speaks only to him, or to teachers who ask him a question directly. The days are spent observing the humans; their interactions as well as dynamics. It’s not nearly as fun as running through the forest as a wolf but Landon has learned to enjoy these small freedoms from pack life. The pressure to be like his father, the alpha, weighs heavily on his nine-year-old shoulders and the boringness of school is an excellent buffer. 

Rea skips eagerly around her brother while going on and on about how the new girl in her class is so pretty and smart. She tries to talk to the girl, whose name Landon didn’t care enough about, but apparently new girl is shy. 

“Maybe she just doesn’t like you.” His sister stops at his words turning to face him with a pinched face and her hands on her hips, a replica of their mother. Landon can’t keep the snicker of amusement down. 

“That is just mean.”

This comes from Toki. The tall boy is sitting on a bench a few feet away watching a group of kids run around playing tag. He’s much too old to be in their current grade, but Cliff the pack lawyer worked his magic on the documents turned into the school so Toki could be with his alpha. With the two following in their father’s legacy it was important for them to be close and know how to work together. Landon’s safety is Toki’s first priority.

“Is it really mean if it’s the truth?” Landon is distracted now his thoughts turning to a small dark haired girl playing tag. 

Her yellow dress is printed with tiny white daisies, the back of the dress hidden by long black hair. Landon studies the way the locks swish against the fabric. His ears zero in on the pounding of her heart and the frantic pace of her breath as she runs from a tall redhead kid. Someone from his grade he thinks. 

He watches as the kid catches up to her, the boy pushes too hard against her small body knocking her forward into the concrete. Landon is moving before he thinks; the only thing keeping him from running full speed is Toki’s hand gripping the back of his shirt. It takes him too long to reach the small girl at his human speed. He still beats the closest teacher though. 

At this close he can smell her, honeysuckle and vanilla frosting. Her big black eyes are watery from crying, tears streaking down her round pale cheeks. The tiny girl before him steals his breath away with how beautiful she is. All soft, sweet, and in need of an alpha to take care of her. Landon pretends to be catching his breath as he leans in to check the girls knee. Her scent is making his head spin in the best way. The wolf is happy, he wants to bring her closer. ‘Our little omega’ the wolf says. 

The redhead is babbling, trying to reach out and touch his omega.

“Don’t touch her, idiot.” 

Landon’s voice is close enough to a growl that Toki is clearing his throat loudly. A reminder that these are humans around them, not other wolves. Landon takes a second to make sure no part of the girl is broken, just a scraped knee. He is more calm when he speaks. 

“I’ll take her to the nurse. Toki stay with Rea.”

When he reaches for the raven-haired girl, the color almost blue when the sun hits it just right, she doesn’t flinch away like most people do around him. The thought makes Landon smile as he lifts her tiny body easily, maybe a little too easily. 

Not that Landon cares. He doesn’t stop when the teachers yell at him and thanks his lucky stars for Toki explaining the situation away as easily as only he can. His omega has her soft cheek pressed against his collarbone, her hiccupping breaths from trying not to cry brushing against the base of his throat. Landon finds he likes the feeling. 

“My name is Landon Cantwell.”

The girl in his arms wiggles around a bit so that she can meet his gaze. Landon likes having her this close, he can see her eyes are black as her hair. The contrast to her pale skin, transparent enough to see spider webs of green and blue veins, makes the flesh look creamy. 

“My name is Kyra Tarrin. Are you related to Mr. Cantwell?”

Landon smiles at the mention of his uncle Marcus, this meant the girl is in Rea’s class. 

“He is my uncle. You probably know my sister Rea. She’s a bit of a loudmouth but she means well.”

Kyra smiles a bit shyly tucking her head back against his chest. The sight makes Landon want to howl. Landon is a little bummed when they get to the main office. He likes having Kyra so close and his wolf is anxious at the thought of putting her down, of leaving her. 

The nurse is a tall dark haired woman with kind blue eyes and laugh lines. She seems sweet as she guides Landon to set Kyra down on the little exam table. He doesn’t leave when the nurse pointedly looks at him and still doesn’t move when she speaks.

“She’s alright now Landon, you can head back outside to finish recess.”

Landon barely manages to contain his growl of annoyance; mostly worried that the sound would startle Kyra. Instead the boy just stares the woman down silently refusing to leave. The tiny hand clutching his makes the threat of a detention worth it. It’s a struggle to keep a smile from his face.

He smells him before his uncle reaches the office. Can hear him speaking softly to the secretary before taking the seventeen steps, Landon counted, to the nurse’s office. Uncle Marcus fills the doorway of the little space with a grin plastered to his tan face. He looks like a younger version of Landon’s father, an older version of Landon himself. 

“I came to see how Kyra is. Heard she took a nasty fall. I hope you don’t mind Janine.”

Marcus’ voice sounds like molasses on a hot day, smooth and sickeningly sweet. Landon hates the fake persona his uncle takes on with other adults. It’s why the man works with second graders all day. 

“Marcus! Maybe you can help with Landon, he’s refusing to head back outside.”

The nurse, Janine, gives Landon that ‘adult’ look. The one that says I know better than you and have told you to do it, now jump. It makes him angry so with one last glare the boy turns to face the small angel on the table still staring up at him like he’s a hero. The wolf likes that. 

“He’s a little overprotective of young girls, it’s his big brother complex, we try to encourage it in the family because it means our little Rea is well protected. Would you mind terribly if he stays with Kyra; I know she gets a little anxious around new people.”

Again, with that voice. Landon rolls his eyes and Kyra giggles. Oh wow. He knows in that moment he will do anything to hear that sound again. 

The nurse blushes while stammering about how great it is that they’re raising Landon to be a great husband someday. He may be nine but he can pick up on the hints, not to mention scents, that this lady is sending to his uncle. She hurriedly gathers everything she needs to fix up Kyra’s knee and sits on a rolling chair. 

Landon climbs up to sit next to Kyra on the table his thigh pressed against her own. Her scent dulls slightly from the pain, her hand gripping his tightly, making Landon’s wolf a little crazy. Our omega. Protect.

His uncle is watching too closely. As if he can read Landon’s mind. Landon watches the nurse clean Kyra’s gash and apply some cream followed by a pink band aid. 

“All better sweetie! Would you like to get something out of the treat box for being such a brave trooper?” Janine speaks too sweetly now that she is being watched. 

Kyra just shakes her head before scooting off the table. Landon follows like a pup would trail milk. His uncle lays a hand on his shoulder as he tries to pass him. Kyra stops in the doorway waiting as Landon looks up into his uncles’ blue eyes.

“Would you mind taking Kyra back to the classroom for me? Recess will be over soon and I’m sure she would prefer to sit inside for a bit.”

With a grateful nod, Landon lets Kyra lead him to her classroom and show him where she sits. At the same group of tables where Rea sits. Her soft voice pulls at some weird emotion in his chest.

“Thank you for helping me.”

Her cheeks are pink again, her eyes focused on her shoes. Landon settles himself on the ground in front of her so that he can meet her gaze. He isn’t sure what to say. There is a lot his wolf wants to tell her but that isn’t allowed. And for the first time in his life Landon wants to share his secret. 

“I’m happy I was there to help.”

The words aren’t nearly enough but something in her eyes shine brighter. He loves the shy smile that pulls at her lips. He’s never noticed pretty girls before. Toki has but Landon figured that’s because he was older. Now though, looking at Kyra, he thinks it’s because no one will ever be as pretty to Landon as Kyra is. His wolf has been waiting for her. “I’m really glad we got to meet today Kyra.”

Her name flows easily out of his mouth. She smiles like she realizes just how right they are together. 

They sit in silence for five whole minutes, just watching each other. When Uncle Marcus brings the rest of his class back inside he gives Landon a meaningful look. One that says, ‘we will talk about this’. Landon ignores it. 

His last hour and a half of math is boring so he passes the time remembering the way the light turned Kyra’s hair different colors. How her eyes seemed to hold so much emotion. The way her voice sounded filling the silent air. 

“Dude you reek. You thinking about that girl from recess?” Toki’s voice is annoying. 

Landon refuses to meet the smiling idiots gaze no matter how many times the older boy elbows him. When the afternoon announcements end wishing everyone a safe winter break Landon is out of his seat grabbing his book bag ready to find Kyra again. His teacher, Mrs. Stanton, is blocking his exit, stopping to let the walkers and bus riders out first. His impatient shoving gets the older woman’s attention until she finally lets Landon and Toki leave. They are out of the room and down the hall a little too quickly. 

“Go grab Rea from her class, I’ll meet you outside.” Landon turns heading to the front entrance without a second thought.

He can smell her. He follows it past a group of kids pushing and laughing until finally he spots her yellow dress. 

“Kyra!”

His omega smiles huge, her scent growing sweeter as he stops next to her. They’re halfway down the sidewalk and he notices the bright neon green walkers badge the school makes them wear with the number of the school printed on it should a child get lost. 

“I just wanted to make sure you get home safe. Do you live nearby?”

Landon is grateful for his enhanced hearing. It makes it easier to understand her whispering with the chaos of all the kids around them. 

“My grandma’s house is just down that way.” She points to the left of the school. 

Landon quickly scans the parking lot for his sister who is being led by Toki to where they are standing. He knew Toki would be able to find him. 

“I’m going to walk Kyra home. Want to call my mom and have her pick us up there? It’s right down the street.”

Toki nods pulling out his dad’s old flip phone. It’s for emergencies and pack communication. Landon doesn’t bother listening to the conversation, he has better things to think about. Like Kyra answering Rea’s question about whatever project they had to do in class today. The five-minute walk to Kyra’s grandma’s house is spent with the girls talking. Kyra growing more animated with each passing second. 

“So how come you don’t talk in class?”

This is the girl Rea had been blabbering on about for a week now. The new girl who stayed quiet. Uncle Marcus refused to indulge Rea’s curiosity but Kyra didn’t seem to have any qualms about it now. She smiled softly at his sister.

“I didn’t have a lot of friends at my old school. They made fun of me; said I looked like a demon. I figured I wouldn’t bother anyone if I didn’t talk.”

This makes Landon angry. Who in their right mind would want to hurt such a sweet girl? 

“Well the kids at your old school must have been stupid!” Rea spoke with an air of finality making Kyra giggle a little.

“Rea, it isn’t nice to call people stupid.”

His sister pouts dramatically, “yeah well I can’t help it if it’s true, now can I?”

More giggling. Landon likes how the sound makes his stomach twist like he is on a roller coaster. Kyra turns to face a nice house with shutters painted yellow. An old gray truck sits in the driveway. 

“This is my grandma’s house. I stay with her until my parents are done working.”

Rea ohh’s and ahh’s over the yellow paint while Toki drools over the old truck. Landon just watches Kyra stare at her new friends like she’s never had any before. The thought makes him sad. 

“We’ll meet you at the front entrance after break, okay? And walk you home too! This has been fun!” Rea is holding Kyra’s hand swinging it back and forth. The quiet girl smiles. 

He’s glad Rea said something, makes it less weird if it’s coming from a girl her own age than a boy two years older. Not that Landon would have let that stop him. They stand outside letting the two girls talk for a few minutes more until Landon’s mom parks their car across the street. 

Kyra waves, much more calmly than Rea, then heads into the bright house. 

“Is that the girl you had to walk home?” His mother sounds curious but detached. She isn’t a wolf so she can’t smell the swirl of emotions filling the small space of the car. Toki on the other hand does and makes kissy faces at Landon. 

Rea fills their mother in on most of the story going on and on about her new best friend. Landon just smiles as he starts counting the days until he can go back to school.

 

Dinner is always a loud and rowdy affair in the Cantwell house. Landon loves his pack family for the most part. Times like these are when he would prefer a quieter atmosphere. All the boy can think about is Kyra; is she safe, has she eaten, what if she trips down some stairs or something and hurts herself again?

“You’ve been quiet all night, son. How was your day?” Tyler Cantwell speaks with as if he is giving a speech. No matter what the man is saying every word is chosen carefully and spoken neutrally. It must be an alpha thing, Landon thinks and hopes that when he becomes alpha it will be the same for him. 

“Landon helped a girl at school today! She’s nice Daddy, always smiling. We’re best friends now.”

Rea’s rambling makes Uncle Marcus laugh. Landon notices how quickly his father raises an eyebrow to Marcus who then nods slightly in return. Then his father is watching Landon. 

Everyone says the Cantwell men are just clones of each other. Same blue eyes, messy blonde hair, tan skin, strong jaws, and hard stare. It’s true; he’s seen pictures of his great-grandfather as a young man and the same face his father has looks back at him from the paper every time. Landon holds the stare with a look of his own. It feels competitive like his father is asking him if he’s strong enough for what is coming next. 

“My wolf noticed her. She- She’s my omega.”

I’ve never heard the word before today but again at the thought of Kyra it rings loudly through my mind. My wolf supplying happiness at the thought. It’s a good thing. 

His father does not look happy at this. Blue eyes hard glass as he glares at Landon for a whole minute while the other wolves at the table shift anxiously. Toki moves his chair closer to Landon who is refusing to back down. 

“Where did you learn about omegas?” It’s Landon’s mother, Sam, who pulls their attention away from each other. Landon flushes at the intimacy the word creates between him and the small girl. Can feel it in the air around them. 

“It’s hard to explain. When we saw her we just knew? My wolf called her that- omega.” Landon is proud of how strong his voice sounds, though he knows his scent is giving away how nervous he is.

“It’s weird though. I noticed when we first met the girl she just smelled really sweet but when we walked her home she smelled a little bit different, more like her scent was shifting to pair with Landon’s. Kind of like mates would do.” Toki says to Landon’s father. 

This was news to Landon. All he had smelled was Kyra on the walk back. Plus, they were outside which could make it harder to notice certain scents over the pungent smell of exhaust fumes. The mate thing wasn’t new to Landon though. He had just been hoping he could keep Kyra to himself for a while.

“Wait. You mean to say that our little alpha has found his mate already?” Toki’s father, Carter, spoke from his spot to the left of the alpha. His tone was joking until he saw the honesty in the boys’ eyes.

“An omega mate? How is it possible for a human to be identified as an omega?” Skyler, who has been with the pack for only a few short months, spoke with a medical curiosity Landon would never understand. 

Landon’s father stood, his scent of bark and moss burning angrily through the air. The room went quiet with all eyes zeroed in on their alpha.

“Until I give the word there will be no interaction with this girl. Understood? Especially you Landon.”

Landon’s heart stopped for a moment. There was only two weeks for winter break and he had to change his father’s mind by then. He knew he would not be able to ignore Kyra, which would be open defiance against his alpha. 

Landon thought every day of winter break how to convince his father that it would be beneficial to keep Kyra nearby. It was his job to keep her safe. When finally, mere days before school started back up, Landon remembered something his Uncle Marcus had mentioned about Kyra. 

Walking into his father’s study used to be something that calmed Landon and filled him with pride. Very few people were allowed in this room. Now all he could feel was dread. When he entered the room his father and uncle were talking in hushed tones. Two sets of dark blue eyes watched him enter and settle down on the dark green couch across from the desk. 

“I want donuts. There’s a great new bakery in town I heard about. Maybe we could go get some?”

His uncle knew immediately what he was doing the look he gave the boy was proud. His father kept his face blank for a moment until a huge grin split the man’s lips.

“Donuts sound good. Marcus, will you be joining us?” The man in question shakes his head but waves as the two left. 

The drive was nerve racking but Landon’s father acted like he didn’t notice the reeking scent filling the car. Their little town in North Carolina was small with a population under 1,000. It made for a quiet town and enough privacy for a werewolf pack to thrive. No one questioned the family living in the woods because they have always been there. 

They turned right onto Main Street until they reached a tiny little house turned bakery. Landon had to look it up online to make sure it was the right place. The Tarrin’s Bakery. The smell of vanilla permeated the air around the building painted in bright blues and greens. A big grey truck took up a spot in the back of the parking lot, the sight making Landon’s heart beat faster. This was it. He hoped that meeting Kyra, or even her family, would help his father realize the girl wasn’t a threat.

Landon opened the front door in a hurry hoping to see dark hair and pale skin. The boy was so busy scanning the front sitting room that he didn’t notice his father’s quiet chuckle or cheerful and familiar greeting with the man at the register. A strong hand on the back of the boys’ neck led Landon to the front counter where glass cases were filled with treats. 

“Welcome to The Tarrin’s Bakery how can I – Oh! Your late today!” A tall thin woman with dark brown hair and hazel eyes smiled at Landon’s father. They knew each other?

“Yes, well I decided to bring my son in for a treat today. Landon what would you like?”

Landon was brought back to reality by his father tightening his grip, not too harshly, on his neck. The man was smiling down at his son with a look that Landon couldn’t put words to. The woman stared at Landon over the counter, her teeth blindingly white, when Landon caught the scent. Honeysuckle. 

The boy’s eyes grew wide his head snapping to look over his left shoulder where Kyra stood one tiny hand reaching out to Landon. Whatever his father had told him about staying away from the girl was lost in the jumble of his mind. He and his wolf were happy to have her so close again after days of being apart. His heart sped up as she dropped her hand then even more when Kyra smiled at him.

“I like the red velvet donuts. They’re the best.” The hand at his neck was gone and it took Landon a moment to realize he had stepped out of it. Away from his father, his alpha, to get closer to this girl.

“Would you like to share one with me?” The words are out of his mouth before he can think. But he doesn’t stop to look up at his father afraid that if he looks away from this beautiful girl she will disappear.

Kyra looks over at the woman behind the counter a hopeful look on her pretty face. Landon’s father is the one who speaks first. 

“We have some time, I don’t mind if you don’t Victoria.” Landon is so lost. He knows the woman’s name. 

Kyra’s hand in his grounds him back to earth. The tiny human in front of him is smiling still and Landon feels like the world has stopped spinning. 

“Alright a red velvet donut to share, you want your usual Tyler?” At his father’s nod the woman goes about getting their order ready adding a black coffee and apple fritter the size of Landon’s head to their order. “Kyra make sure grampa knows where you are alright?”

“Yes, momma I know.” It isn’t said with annoyance, like how Rea would react to being treated like a baby, Kyra seems to understand how the world works in a more mature way than most seven-year-olds. She is still holding his hand and leads him over to a table with a tall graying man glaring down at a newspaper. 

The man speaks gruffly but Landon can smell how fond he is of the little girl between them. He feels eyes on them as they make their way to the table his father has picked out.

Their time at the bakery was mostly Landon asking Kyra questions about herself while they ate. Landon’s head is still spinning at how fast his plan got turned around on him. Even now an hour later as he waves to Kyra and her grandfather while they pull away from the bakery in their shiny black SUV. 

“I thought you said we weren’t allowed to interact.” He sounds like Brick, the whiny three-year-old always had something to pout about, but at this point he doesn’t care he just wants to understand.

“You’re right I did. But you uncle talked me into checking out the family, they are good people. I do need you to understand though Landon, they are human. Kyra can never know the truth about you.”

“I know, Dad. I just want to keep her safe. I need to keep her safe.”

The words didn’t feel like enough to describe the ache in his chest but his father seemed to understand. Landon knew that one day he would be alpha, that he would be able to bring Kyra into their family once that event took place. He could wait. Could be her friend and watch over her until that day. 

 

Later that night Landon overheard his parents talking about his omega. He had woken up from a dream that was too fuzzy to remember when he heard his mother.

“Tyler, is it really smart to let them grow so attached? Rea is just as invested in this girl as Landon is.”

There was a shuffle of blankets as one of his parents moved in their bedroom across the hall. 

“I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do. But I know how hard it was to stay away from you. I don’t want Landon to make a mistake and suffer because of something so simple.”

The words are spoken softly, a tone Landon has never heard from his father before. 

“The only thing I can be sure about is that Kyra will make Landon stronger. Keeping them apart will only make him upset and anxious. There was something interesting that about the girl though.”

More shuffling and his mother asking, “what?”

“Her scent doesn’t come from either parent. It isn’t traceable to them at all.”

Landon’s mother gives a soft sigh at this news. Now that he thought about it Kyra had a scent all her own. 

“Are you going to have Cliff look into the adoption?”

Landon didn’t want to hear anymore. Even with the pillow over his head he heard his father’s reply.

“I already have.”

He’s relieved when the conversation stops there. But the words float around in his head for the rest of the night keeping him awake and worrying about Kyra.


End file.
